On Air Now Colin Hanslip 10:00pm - 11:00pm
Now Playing Rick Springfield Jessie's Girl

Diwali celebrations in Ashton

Thursday, 3 November 2022 12:49

By Daisy Dewsnap X @daisydewsnap

The vibrancy of Diwali is something admired by all.

The fireworks that collate to make an artistic canvas of the night sky, the lights illuminating the temple as a blissful troupe of dancing flames and the vivid colours of the food presented so magnificently, along with the pure energy and excitement which is just contagious.

Diwali, one of the most popular festivals of Hinduism, is celebrated by devotees all over the world each year, coming together for moments of prayer, gift-giving and family gatherings. It symbolises the spiritual victory of ‘light over darkness, good over evil, and wisdom over ignorance’.

Hundreds from the local community came together at the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple on Lees Road in Ashton last week to honour both Diwali and the Hindu New Year.

The celebrations began on the evening of Monday 24 October with a key ceremony called the Chopda Pujan. This consists of people bringing along their business or account books to be blessed and to pay homage to Saraswati Devi, the Hindu deity of knowledge, arts and wisdom.

This ritual is all about wishing success and prosperity for the coming year; the evening ended with a stunning fireworks display over the domes of the temple as candles, lights and fireworks are an integral part of the décor & festivities.

Celebrations then continued last Wednesday. On this day, visitors had the opportunity to view the ‘annakut’ – a massive platter of vegetarian food dishes artistically arranged and offered to the Hindu deity Krishna as an expression of their gratitude to him for bestowing his blessings.

Embodying the religion’s central themes of goodwill and charity, the sanctified food was later distributed among devotees, volunteers and visitors with the remainder being donated to local food banks and shelters which are currently supporting those most heavily impacted by the ongoing cost of living crisis.

1 of 85

More Galleries

Hyde market
festy
Shrek
DIWALI FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS 2022 (1)

Share

Mansukh Dhokia from the Mandir, said: "My favourite part of Diwali is the food. I love to see all the effort that people make and when you see all that variety of food, it just makes you realise how much time and devotion people have taken to make the food. I enjoy looking at the creativity of the food and the way that people put all their devotion into offering it to God."

The temple hosted one of the largest devotional gatherings across the whole of Greater Manchester, with many hundreds attending.

We discussed people’s highlights and favourite parts of the significant festival with a huge variety of individuals.

Among all those attending there was a consistent mention of the sense of ‘togetherness’ and how special it was that people of all faiths and backgrounds were brought together to enjoy the colours, sounds and flavours of Diwali.

People were also able to see family members or friends that they don't see on a regular basis.

Roshni, one of the volunteers at the Temple, added: "For me, I think my favourite thing about Diwali is coming together as a family. Sometimes it’s hard to make time to actually see each other so this is a moment to bring us together and to celebrate."

There were also numerous mentions of food, lighting lamps, the array of colours and stunning adornments.

There was such a community feel right from the moment you stepped into the Temple and every single person was so welcoming - with the spirit of renewal and generosity pouring forth to such an extent that all could sense it, the joys of some families becoming the joy for all.

It brought the community together with the entire temple alive with happiness, music and light.

  • You can hear more from the Diwali celebrations of the Reporter Show, tonight at 7pm on Tameside Radio 103.6FM.

Images by Nigel Wood.

📰 Sign up to our newsletter ðŸ“°

Want to get regular round-ups of news in your local area straight to your inbox? Simply enter your email address and tick the box below. 

Did you mean @?
Newsletter
Privacy Policy

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper

Share

More from Tameside Reporter

Weather

  • Sat

    14°C

  • Sun

    16°C

  • Mon

    13°C

  • Tue

    13°C

  • Wed

    14°C